Fiona's Story
by Sanarina
Summary: The Giver told from Fiona's POV. Not exactly my best writing... I wrote this 2 years ago, but read it anyways and tell me what you think its my first fanfic!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own The Giver, any of its characters, or any of the plot details from the original book.

I wrote this fanfic two years ago, and decided to submit it after recently joining this website. It's not up to my usual standard, but read and review anyways!

Enjoy!

Sanarina

* * *

When the plane flew over the city, Fiona had been right under it. Almost silent compared to the clanking cargo planes, this plane was a sleek jet built for one person, a svelte black shadow against the soft, bright daylight of the city's muted sky. The speakers on the wall buzzed to life in a split second, and then a Speaker broadcast his voice all over the city: GO INTO YOUR HOMES IMMEDIATELY. LEAVE YOUR BIKES WHERE THEY ARE. Frightened, Fiona did what the voice had said – left her bicycle on its side on the road in front of her home, then ran inside.

There, she found only Mother, obediently sitting inside, worried. Fiona wanted to tell her that everything would be okay, but as Fiona knew no such thing, she merely went into her room and stared out of her window at the pandemonium outside. Soon, however, when everyone had gone inside, there was only an unearthly stillness throughout the city. Then, breaking the silence, the plane once again flew over the now deserted streets. Fiona thought it very odd indeed that a Pilot would fly the forbidden routes over the city, especially twice in - The speaker interrupted her troubled thoughts with a relieved note in the voice: A PILOT-IN-TRAINING MERELY LOST HIS WAY. NEEDLESS TO SAY, HE WILL BE RELEASED. Fiona shivered at the amusement with which the Speaker had proclaimed the Pilot's punishment. For a contributing citizen to be released from the community was the worst possible disgrace – a major dishonor also to those who lived with them.

Now, Fiona mused a year later, she felt the fear of something new, and strange, again, much as she had when the plane flew overhead. Of course, she knew that the Ceremony of Twelve was a standard ceremony that all citizens would one day go through. Even so, Fiona could not shake the feeling that this Ceremony was different – which it was – from the Ceremony of One through to the Ceremony of Eleven last year. Fiona, however, thought that – not only was this ceremony more important, but it marked the beginning of her adult life – so she would no longer be as close to her friends, Jonas and Asher, and her family. Sighing silently, she righted her bike and rode away from the House of the Old, where she had chosen to do most of her volunteer hours that year. Fiona enjoyed working with the Old, her gentle nature directed her to jobs that would let her be a more direct help to others.

"Fiona! Wait up!" Asher cried. He pedaled his bike at a crazy speed to catch up with his soft-spoken friend.

"Hello Asher," Fiona replied serenely. Then, a bit awkwardly, "I just finished my volunteer hours. At the House-"

"Of the Old, big surprise! Hey, so did I, so you wanna ride near the river before we hafta go home?" Asher was not very careful about speaking clearly, and often spoke too fast. Fiona agreed wholeheartedly to the bike ride, and they set off in silence. Fiona thought of Jonas, her other friend, and wondered what kind of Assignment he was likely to get at the upcoming Ceremony. Asher, of course, would get something fun, like Recreational Director. That would suit his spirit perfectly. As for herself, Fiona knew better than to say anything out loud, but she knew that she would either be a Nurturer of newchildren, or a Caretaker of the Old. These were the two places where she volunteered the most of her time and effort. But Jonas – he distributed his time evenly between all of the places with room for more volunteers. He had no idea what he was going to be, and just hoped that he would like it. Fiona was worried about her careful friend, worried that he would get Assigned to a job that he did not really fit into, or something like that. Almost all of the other Elevens in their group were leaning towards one field or another. Even the ones who didn't would be easy to place based on their temperaments. But Jonas… He was a bit different from everyone else. Sure, he followed rules and all of that, but Fiona didn't think he had an Assignment in mind. He had worry lines all over his face, which creased whenever his friends spoke of their favorite places to volunteer, and what Assignment they hoped to get. True, Jonas had joined in on these discussions, but only to say what he didn't want to be, and to list vague jobs that "might just be okay". Fiona snapped out of her reverie when her bike slid from the paved cement of the river walkway to the gravel path leading back to the city. She began to chat merrily with Asher, and soon the disturbing facts she had been going through in her mind faded into the background.

All except for one thing – He looks different, too, Fiona thought. Jonas has pale eyes…


	2. Chapter 2

Fiona finished bathing the old man she was taking care of, and dried him with a towel. Sending him gently off to bed, she finally allowed herself to look over to the next bathtub, watching Jonas finish with Larissa, a gentle Elder. Smiling, they went together out of the building to where their bikes were propped up in their stands. "Jonas," Fiona said, hesitantly, "I'm nervous about the Ceremony-"she cut herself off. It was the polite way for her to ask a question, leaving an open statement about herself in the air, just waiting for Jonas to reply with one of his own. It was almost automatic for Jonas to respond to her unspoken queries, so he replied:

"I am very nervous as well, Fiona. I really do not know what kind of Assignment I hope to get, and – well, I just have this frightened feeling, as if anything could go wrong." Fiona realized that her friend had just described exactly the feeling that she had been experiencing, a deep, rooted fear that nothing would work out, that she would be left as a Laborer and never be able to show her face for fear of disgrace from the Ceremony of Twelve. Fiona shivered slightly, and Jonas noticed with concern. "Is it too cold out here, Fiona?" he asked with dismay. Fiona shook her head, and then departed with a hasty goodbye to her pale-eyed friend.

"Fiona, tomorrow is a very big day for you. You will receive your Assignment for life. You must have some feelings about that," Mother said. Fiona had been too confused to share her feelings at the table, so she had quietly murmured a pass. Now, however, she felt compelled to answer.

"Well, I admit that I am frightened and a bit apprehensive. That is because I have never had an Assignment before. Also, I am scared to do something wrong that will disgrace me in front of the community, such as trip or say something wrong while getting my Assignment. I felt very foolish Sharing these feelings, as well – as if they were something to be ashamed about. However, I am very excited to be getting a newchild in the family, too." Fiona finished.

"That is very interesting, Fiona. Could it be that you are apprehensive because of something you have heard of before, like someone failing to do something right and then being disgraced in front of the community? Because, of course, there has never, ever been such a case," Father interpreted.

"Or, is it related to that dream you told about this morning, that one about saying everything backwards when you were Assigned to be a Pilot," her mother mused.

"That must be it, Mother, thank you very much," Fiona said, distributing the due thanks. "Now, I feel only exhausted, so I believe I should get some sleep," she excused herself from further painful discussions.

In the confined space of her neat, almost empty room, Fiona flopped onto the crisp sheets covering her bed. She began to think about the Ceremony of Twelve, Jonas, and other such matters. Within moments, Fiona was asleep.

"Did you have any dreams, Mother?" Fiona asked. It was the morning of the ceremony.

"Actually, I did not have any dreams last night. Bill?"

"I dreamed about you, Fiona." Her father said. "I dreamed that you were receiving a large gold medallion on a blue ribbon, and I was so proud!"

"That must relate to my dream, Father, as it is probably about the Ceremony of Twelve today. I dreamed that I got up on stage to receive my Assignment, but then they said that they had made a mistake and sent me to be released." Fiona related. It had been a vivid dream, full of terror and nerves. It was her worst nightmare, and she had had many variations of it that month – Fiona couldn't help but be a little superstitious – what if it was a bad omen? Her parents were going over the fact that she had just dreamt that because she was nervous. Fiona tuned them out.

No matter what anyone said, Fiona vowed to herself that she would be extremely careful at the Ceremony – just in case…


	3. Chapter 3

Fiona listened with half an ear as the various age groups got their new items and looks for the upcoming year. There were jackets that buttoned up in the front for the Fives, Sixes and Sevens, and shorter haircuts for the Tens, while the Nines got their first official bicycles. Fiona and her family received a newchild, a boy named Bruno. Her own Ceremony was fast approaching, and she looked nervously at her fellow Elevens, sitting together in numerical order, by order of birth. Fiona was number 19; Jonas was 20, so he sat beside her. A boy named Raymond sat on her right, he was a bit stuck-up, and so Fiona rarely talked to him. Asher was number 4, so he sat out of talking distance from his two friends. Finally, after a long refreshment break, the Ceremony of Twelve began.

The Chief Elder started off by saying what a great group they were, and how proud everyone was of their accomplishments. Then she went on to list how the new Twelves would soon receive their Assignments, their jobs, and what a huge responsibility they were taking on. "This is possibly the most important occasion in our new Twelves' lives. They have spent all of their lives trying to be the same, but now is the time when we honor their differences." The audience clapped politely.

Therefore, in the silence that followed, the Chief Elder proceeded to call out the numbers of the Twelves to cue them to the front, then she would announce their names, their qualities, and finally, present them with an Assignment and the rules for their Assignment. "Four," the Elder called. "Asher." Fiona's friend walked hesitantly up to the stage. "Asher is a bright, cheerful boy who often puts play before work. Although that may be a disadvantage at school, Asher's love of fun is perfect for the new Assistant Director of Recreation!" Asher looked proud and relieved as he received his file folder of rules.

"Eighteen," the Chief Elder called, "Raymond. A bright and intelligent young man, Raymond was chosen for his insight and creative knowledge." Raymond glanced haughtily around the room. "Therefore, Raymond will be Assistant to the Chief Engineer!" Raymond looked smug as he came back to his seat beside Fiona, holding a large stack of papers in one big folder. No one was surprised at the choice – Raymond had never volunteered anywhere else.

"Nineteen," called the Chief Elder. Fiona gulped, then rose from her seat and willed her legs to carry her to the stage. Her legs obeyed, wobbling. She spent, it seemed, a lifetime getting up to the stage, and she looked down to avoid the many staring eyes of the community. "Fiona," the Chief Elder announced, "Is a sweet, gentle girl. She has volunteered many hours of her time to help those both older and younger than her. Fiona is an extremely smart, careful student, and therefore is a role model for her year-mates. Fiona, you have been Assigned to the job of –" Fiona held her breath "Caretaker of the Old. Congratulations." The Elder dismissed her with a large pile of papers. Fiona scuttled nervously back to her seat, then sat down with a sigh of relief.

"Good luck," she whispered to Jonas, waiting to hear his number.

"Twenty-one," the Chief Elder called, "Pierre," and carried on, skipping Jonas completely. Fiona looked at him with fear in her eyes. He looked petrified with confusion. Maybe the Chief Elder just forgot him, Fiona thought hopefully. In a moment she will call him up and apologize and everything will be okay. But the Chief Elder did nothing of the sort, merely carried on with the Ceremony. Glancing fearfully into the audience, Fiona saw everyone stealing glances at Jonas, murmuring quietly. Jonas shivered with dread as the Chief Elder finished with the Twelves. "I apologize." She said to the audience. "I have caused you anxiety." Fiona remembered thinking that Jonas was different. She remembered her dream of disgrace and release. "Jonas. I apologize to you in particular. I have caused you great anguish."

"I accept your apology," Jonas' words were barely audible.

"Please come to the stage now," the Chief Elder said, gently. She beckoned. Jonas got up and stumbled to the stage. Fiona watched closely, worried still, especially at the Chief Elder's next words. "Jonas has not been Assigned." She stated. There was a collective gasp from the assembled audience. Fiona almost jumped up in her chair. "Jonas has been _Selected._" The Chief Elder stressed the last word. Confused, Fiona sat back down. "The Receiver of Memory, with the approval of the Council, has selected Jonas to be the next Receiver. This is a position of great honor, and the previous candidate failed in the quest to acquire all of the memories. Jonas has been chosen for his qualities and virtues. First of all, _Intelligence_. As we all know, Jonas has always been at the top of his class. _Integrity_. Jonas, like all of us, has committed minor transgressions. As we would have hoped, he has always shown up promptly for chastisement. _Courage._ Jonas, the job expected of you involves great pain. Physical pain. Yes, you have scraped your knees and cut your finger by slamming it into the door, but you have never experienced real pain. _Wisdom_. You do not have this yet, Jonas, but will acquire it through training. Finally, a quality I can only name, not describe. Our current Receiver –" She nodded at an Elder with a long, grizzled beard. "Has told me only that it is the _Capacity to See Beyond_, which you must have, Jonas." Jonas looked puzzled, and then blinked rapidly.

"Yes, I think I do have that, what ever it is." Jonas said.

"We thank you for your childhood." she finished. The audience began to chant his name, to give their new Receiver strength. Amid the chanting, Jonas slunk back to his seat with his own folder of rules and responsibilities – a single sheet of paper. Fiona looked down at the piles of paper in her own hands and sighed.


	4. Chapter 4

Was it because of what I thought, Fiona wondered. Was that why Jonas was singled out? Or was it because others higher up had made the same observations as Fiona – and that grizzled old Elder who was obviously the Receiver of Memory had pieced it all together. Well, Fiona thought, at least Jonas wasn't humiliated – or was he? Jonas had looked puzzled, confused, and embarrassed on stage – but Fiona knew he had been chosen well. Jonas had all of the traits needed – and that seeing beyond thing – he had screwed up his eyes, just before saying that he had that capacity – Fiona was sure that he had been seeing beyond.

She turned her attention back to the thick pile of papers – rules and responsibilities for the Caretaker of the Old. Fiona read the first sheet – the main rules:

You must come to the House of the Old directly after school lessons for instruction. Then you are free to do recreational activities.

You must treat the Old you are in charge of with the utmost respect at all times – remember that your job is to serve them.

You will be given a discipline wand as part of your basic supplies – please use it only with supervision and training – never use it except when asked to.

You will learn many things (most pertaining to uncomfortable subjects not suitable to disclose at the moment) which you must not reveal to anyone – therefore you may lie as necessary.

You must read the information sheets before your first instruction period – please read the whole stack.

Do not relate any dreams or feelings pertaining to training that may cause you to disclose secrets.

Please follow all safety and such rules – they follow on the next ten pages.

Fiona groaned inwardly at the last statements – how could she possibly read all of the papers before the first training period – the day after next? However, she was irked by the fourth rule – after all of the lessons and slaps with the discipline rod, now she was expected to go against all of the training she had ever had? Fiona knew that she would not lie convincingly – but perhaps she could lie well enough to fool those she had to. Still – Fiona, gentle as she was, had no inclination to ever lie.

Fiona resigned herself to flipping through the rest of the papers. She memorized many sets of rules, and the use of all the basic equipment. Fiona winced at the fact that she would be issued a discipline wand – she hated to beat anyone – especially not the Old she cared for so lovingly. She knew how the thin weapons stung, and she had not thought about that part of her job.

Then she realized that keeping secrets would be very hard for her to do in a society that had none – unless… Unless every adult was given that same rule in their folder – the rule that disillusioned Fiona from the protected idea that absolutely no one lied – simply because she and her playmates were forbidden to. Fiona felt overwhelmed by her new rules and feelings – but, studious girl that she was, Fiona stuffed her feelings into the pit of her stomach, and began to take notes on her expectations.

Fiona went to bed tired that night. She had thought far too much for one day, about topics that rarely came up on a daily basis. But, of course, Fiona remembered, was she had considered her normal life had all changed now – and she was no longer a child, with a child's schedule. That day, Fiona had become an adult. Starting the next day, she had to be prepared to act like one, think like one, and go to work just like a seasoned adult.

She flopped down onto her bed and fell asleep without changing her clothes or pulling on the covers. She had a deep, dreamless sleep, and did not force her brain into action for a long, restful night.


	5. Chapter 5

Fiona woke in the morning with a groan. She was stiff from lying in the same uncomfortable position all night, and realized that she wasn't in her pajamas. Wriggling out of her used clothes, Fiona pulled on a fresh tunic and splashed her face with cool water. Heading to the table for her breakfast, Fiona tripped twice – still too sleepy to see right. She ate her breakfast clumsily, then walked to school after bidding her family farewell.

It was only when she reached the school that Fiona's brain finally kicked into gear, and she began to think like crazy again. Fiona looked around wildly for Jonas, then saw him right next to her, talking to Asher.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Fiona realized why she had found it so urgent to see Jonas – she had thought that he wouldn't be there. Fiona had thought that Jonas, in his respected position of Receiver, might not be asked to attend lessons anymore, as he was so important. But there he was, chatting merrily to Asher as if nothing had happened, as if he was still the same person as every other school day before this. Fiona realized that he wasn't, though. He looked older, wiser, than he ever had, as he had experience great anguish and honor, all in the same hour. Fiona knew that he had changed.

Fiona went over and joined the conversation, a perfectly ordinary conversation, she noted. "Asher, do you have to go to your job after school, as well?" asked Jonas.

"Yeah, where do Assistant Recreation Directors get trained?" Fiona chimed in.

"Well, yes I do have to go to the field today after school. We get trained in a number of different places, I'm just told every day where to meet my mentor for the next day. I almost wish that we didn't have to go to school any more, you know what I mean? I think that, with our new jobs, it should probably not matter if we have good grammar or not, eh?" Asher confided. "How 'bout you, Fiona? Where do you have to go?" Although asking her should have been considered rude, Fiona didn't mind.

"Well, it is pretty obvious where the Caretakers of the Old have to work, isn't it?" she asked coyly. "The House of the Old, of course! So, I just have to go there after school, and I had to read this very big stack of papers last night – there must have been at least fifty sheets of rules!"

"Yeah, I'm still not finished reading my folder. I musta had a zillion sheets in there!" Asher always spoke too fast and exaggerated when he was excited. Fiona almost looked around, fearing that a teacher would be walking by and give her friend a slap and a lecture on precision of language.

Of course, their conversation had gone completely unnoticed; Twelves were rarely supervised. Suddenly, a whistle blew, and Fiona and her friends joined the rest of their class in a straight line to the classroom.

"Oh man, I dunno what I did on that assignment sheet today. I just couldn't concentrate on work today, not on the first day of our Assignments!" confided Asher. Fiona was reminded that she, too, had not been paying attention in class, a rare occasion for the dedicated student. She walked with a friend on either side, feeling extremely calm and relaxed. First, they dropped Asher off at the recreation field. Then they proceeded to the Annex building, where Jonas went in. Feeling very lonely, Fiona set off towards the House of the Old.

Fiona was almost late as she rushed into the building. A desk clerk, smiling calmly, directed her into a small office, where she was expected. Behind a large desk, piled high with formal documents, sat a petite woman in a straight-backed chair. "Welcome, Fiona. Please have a seat. We have a lot to cover today." Fiona sat gingerly in an uncomfortable wooden chair. "Now," said the woman, "I am Mrs. Heather, and I am one of the current Caretakers of the Old. I take care of about twenty Elders at any one time, and I have five or so people under my supervision to help out. Each day, you will have a new schedule, until you take my place and have a fairly regular schedule day-to-day. So, we'll start with a little exercise, shall we, just to see what you know…"


	6. Chapter 6

So the days turned into weeks, and the weeks stretched into months. Over time, Fiona began to care for the strict Mrs. Heather, and hurried to work every day after school. She noticed that Jonas was changing, too.

One day, after work, Fiona and Asher agreed to meet up with Jonas at the park. While waiting, they played a game called "Kapow!" with some of their other friends. Basically, you hide and yell "Kapow!" if anyone is in sight. Then you have to play dead if you are hit. A simple game from their childhood, really. Then, Jonas stopped on his bike and came onto the field. Asher jumped out from behind a tree and yelled "Kapow!" pointing at Jonas. Jonas, instead of playing along and falling dead, stood there with a blank, hurt expression on his face.

Confused and alarmed by the sudden strange mood, the other children slipped away, leaving Jonas with his two friends. "Jonas, it's only a game!" said Fiona, worried.

"Please don't play it anymore," mumbled Jonas, with a strange look on his face.

"Who are you to say what we can play or not?" retorted Asher, angrily. Fiona took an involuntary step back. "Games aren't your area of expertness, anyways!"

"Expertise," Jonas corrected, softly.

"Whatever. I apologize for not paying you the respect you deserve." said Asher, sullenly.

"Asher, you don't know this – I didn't, either, until recently, but it is a cruel game-" Jonas tried to explain.

"I said I _apologize_, Jonas." insisted Asher. Fiona, however, felt like she was beginning to understand… something. She couldn't get anything out of it, though.

"Would you like to go for a ride by the river, Jonas?" asked Fiona. She bit her lip, hoping that he would accept. She needed to clear some things up. Jonas, however, considered, and then shook his head no. Silent, confused, she and Asher hopped onto their bikes and headed towards the river together. Jonas sat on a bench, head in his hands.

"Fiona," said Asher, "I think that Jonas is different, somehow. I'm worried about him. I think that he isn't even taking his Stirring pills, and he never talks to me anymore." Fiona smiled at how Asher's speech improved notably when he was worried. However, what Asher said struck her to the heart. Jonas wasn't taking pills for the strange, disturbing, longing dreams that came with a Stirring? Fiona had been taking those for at least three years, she would never think of stopping. Then the dreams would come back again, the pleasurable dreams in which she and Jonas were together, as more than friends, somehow… But that wasn't what she had been asked.

"I have noticed a change in Jonas, too. I think that his job as Receiver is slowly changing him. After that little scene back there – the old Jonas would have joined right in, but today he seemed almost – disturbed – by the game. Anyways, our friend is definitely not the same." She replied, glad that Asher was finally seeing the things that she was.

"I am worried about him, you know. He is breaking too many rules of late. He has infringed on my area of expertness-"

"Expertise," Fiona grinned.

"Whatever. He has taken over my area of _expertise_, and he is asking people to do things they do not want to. Do you think that he even _lies_, Fiona?" Asher asked, wide-eyed. Fiona had been wrong, then. Asher, apparently, had not been told to lie in his rules. Asher was too candid to disguise knowledge so subtly.

"I don't know, Asher. Perhaps, though, he is allowed to lie. Perhaps in his little folder, he was told that he can be as rude as he likes, lie, and break most of our rules. How will we ever know?" she mused.

"We should ask him," said Asher, decisively.

"But we will never know if his answer is truthful," Fiona pointed out. Asher sighed in resignation.

"I suppose that we will never find out, then. I wish we knew for certain that he was okay, though." he said, heading home. Fiona felt the same way. If only she knew what Jonas was going through to change him so much…


	7. Chapter 7

Fiona went to work after school, as usual. Jonas walked her there. As they talked, Jonas stopped suddenly, gazed at her hair, then shook his head violently. He did not explain, and to ask would be rude. She went into the House of the Old.

"Today," Mrs. Heather explained, "You will learn one of those secrets which were mentioned on your sheet. Fiona, it is vital that you do not disclose what you learn today to anyone in the community. Do you understand?" Fiona nodded eagerly. She hoped that it would be that they would take her Elsewhere, where released people went, to see where the Old were being taken care of.

Mrs. Heather led her solemnly to the auditorium. Inside, many of the Old were gathered, and a small bed with one of the Old on it was at the front. "Shh. Albert is going to be released. Watch, but be quite, Fiona!" ordered Mrs. Heather. As Fiona looked on, a Caretaker in white went up to Albert on the bed, and rolled up his sleeve. The Caretaker filled a small syringe with a clear liquid. Fiona winced sympathetically. To be released, Fiona supposed that the Old would need to be immunized against diseases Elsewhere. The Caretaker slowly injected the liquid into Albert's arm. Albert gave a wrenching scream, twitched as if in pain, then flopped limply onto his back. Ouch, that must have really hurt, thought Fiona. As she watched though, no doorway to Elsewhere appeared, but the Caretaker shoved Albert's body into a large box, shut it firmly, and pushed it down the garbage chute. Fiona felt dizzy, then the room started to fade to black…

Mrs. Heather was leaning over her, fanning her face. Fiona immediately regained her voice, and began to scream. Her mentor's hand clapped over her mouth. Fiona stopped screaming, and Mrs. Heather released her grip. "That's what they mean, don't they? They don't mean released from the community – they mean from life. THEY KILL PEOPLE!" Fiona said quickly, urgently. She was scared out of her wits by the crime she had witnessed.

"Shut your mouth. You have witnessed a release. Fiona, I realize your distress, so we will not start training you in the art of release until tomorrow. Instead, we had one member of the audience who is new to the House. We have to make sure she will not tell a soul. You may watch." Fiona was not all too sure that she wanted to, but she followed Mrs. Heather faithfully.

"Hello, Samantha," called Fiona's mentor, cheerfully. "So you saw the release, did you?" Samantha just made a noise deep in her throat. "You would never tell anyone about that, though, would you now?" asked Mrs. Heather, still smiling. Samantha regained her voice.

"You bet I will! I am going to tell everyone and -"Mrs. Heather cut her off with a sharp slap of the discipline rod, straight on the fingers. Samantha yelped with the sting. Still, she stuck to the opinion that everyone should know. Fiona winced, and looked away with each slap. Finally, half-dead with pain, Samantha agreed to keep her silence. Fiona almost ran away from the pitiful scene, wishing that people would not give in so easily, wishing that discipline rods did not hurt quite so much.

When they were alone again, Mrs. Heather turned apologetically to Fiona, discipline rod in hand. "Fiona, will you keep your silence, please? I really do not want to harm you, do you understand?" she asked. Fiona stared for a long while at the weapon in her mentor's hand. She remembered the agonized screams of Albert, and his last twitch. Yet she still looked at the weapon, and remembered Samantha's agonized submission.

"Yes, Mrs. Heather. I promise not to speak of it." Fiona mumbled. She gave in easily at the mention of pain, but she had a reputation to keep up – and after what she had seen, Fiona was sure that, if she attempted to tell anyone about the truth of release, she would be released, herself. Still, she thought, the community has the right to know…


	8. Chapter 8

So Fiona decided to keep her dreadful secret locked up inside. She was forced to release a few Elders, and make a few keep quiet. Samantha, the Elder who was so brutally convinced to be quiet, had been released by her own trembling hand. The gentle, kind girl trembled with nauseous dizziness every time she thought about it. Fiona just went to work every day after school, and watched Jonas carefully, as he changed more and more every day. Fiona wondered if she should report him to the Chief Elder for his strange behavior, but decided that it was probably just part of being Receiver.

One day, though, Jonas did not appear in school. Thinking he must be sick, Fiona went to Jonas' house to see if he was all right. Jonas' parents had no idea where their son had gone, but they knew that he would have the newchild, Gabriel – a child about to be released for bad sleeping habits – and his father's bicycle. To make it worse, Fiona thought, if Jonas ever came back, he would be released as a criminal, for kidnapping, stealing, and leaving his house at night. Fiona shrouded herself in misery for a good many days, and then she heard a plane again.

It had been almost two years since the jet had passed over the city, striking fear into the hearts of the citizens. Now, the same frightening scream of the powerful jet rockets was heard in the air. This time, however, there was a whole squadron of these rarely seen sleek jets, and there was no confusion. It was common knowledge that they were looking for Jonas.

However, the searching planes could only do so much, and, when a month of failed searching had passed, a great silence fell over the city. The noise of the jets, which had been heard day and night for a whole month, suddenly stopped, and everyone was inside. Everyone but Jonas, Fiona thought miserably. Then, however, there was no time for sadness, for the memories started coming.

Cold, powdery flakes were settling on Fiona's skin. They were small, and melted in her cupped hands. Laughing for the pure joy of it, Fiona lifted a small handful of the stuff from the covered ground. Instinctively, Fiona packed the stuff into a loosely formed ball, then threw it up into the air, giggling. Something else cold brushed past then, it rippled Fiona's long hair. Still smiling, Fiona looked at the horizon – and stopped. There were deformities in the land, powder-covered mounds rising out of the land…

Fiona woke up, then turned on her light, looking out of her window as, simultaneously; every other being in the city also woke and lighted their rooms. Walking out of her door, Fiona met her parents in the hall. Silently, the family headed to the table. Then, they all related the same dream.

"Jonas went before he was supposed to leave; he must have really loved that newchild. Anyways, he left his memories behind, and, as a community, we must accommodate them. There is no way for me to take the memories away, but I am hoping that Jonas left you the pleasurable memories, first." Jonas' mentor, who introduced himself as the Giver, was telling the community how they had all come to experience the same dream – of powdery _snow_, gusty _wind_, and mounds of land called _hills_. He told them about the memories that they would have to bear, then hopped into a vehicle and drove to somewhere he called "Reality Control Center".

As the memories poured in, Fiona adapted better than most. She enjoyed the memories of love, caring, family, and now shared these feelings openly with her family and friends. She also loved the memories because of the visual pleasures called colors. She was always a bit disappointed when she had to come back to her colorless, dull world, even after a horrible memory, like war, or broken bones, or hunger. Therefore, she thought that when she woke up one morning, she was in another memory.

She was in her own room, in her own house. The walls were pink instead of their customary gray. Her hair, as she caught a glimpse of it, was a fiery reddish-orange, and her bedspread was purple. All of the colors from the memories, in her own world. But this memory, if it was one, did not go away. In fact, she still experienced other memories, but came back to her now colorful world.

The Giver came back, and explained that the colors had been there all along, but he had gone to the staff at the Reality Control Center, and gotten them, by a wide-spread radio device, to deactivate the little sensors in people's eyes which had preventing them from seeing colors. Then he asked people to share knowledge about the community so that other things could be voted on, and then changed. Nobody stepped forward. Then Fiona strode boldly up to the Giver, and he had allowed her to speak to the community. From her vantage point, Fiona could see Mrs. Heather shaking her head violently. She looked away and began to speak.

"Fellow citizens, as many of you now know, there is a lot more that members of the community are blind to than colors. One of the more disturbing ones is the subject of release…" and so began the transformation of the society.

* * *

So that's it... Tell me what you think!


End file.
